Jonathan Joseph relives England's 2015 victory in Wales to remember how to silence the ferocious home crowd

The England centre score the decisive try that day and admits the reigning Six Nations champions can't afford to start as slowly if they are to conquer the Cardiff atmosphere

Jonathan Joseph's try in 2015 helped England clinch victory against Wales in Cardiff (Getty)

The last time England were in Cardiff, Jonathan Joseph scored a quite spectacular try. The speed-merchant has scored 13 tries for his country, but there haven’t been many more important that the one he touched down to secure England’s victory over Wales two years ago.

The talk heading into that game was of England’s chastening experience at the Millennium Stadium in 2013, when Grand Slam hopes – as well as the championship – disappeared in a 30-3 humbling defeat. Two years later, and on the eve of the Rugby World Cup, England looked to be heading for a similar fate when Rhys Webb rounded Jonny may to score Wales’s opening try inside eight minutes.

What followed though was a defiant England fightback, with Anthony Watson scoring seven minutes later before Joseph took centre stage shortly after half-time. Receiving the ball little more than 10m out from the Wales try line, the Bath centre stood up Dan Biggar, beat his man and then wriggled out of a two-man tackle involving George North and Webb before darting over. England went on to secure victory, and lay down a major statement ahead of the Rugby World Cup, though of course that wouldn’t go to plan.

Joseph though is reflecting on that match, and how the whole atmosphere surrounding it lingers in the memory that made that afternoon a truly special occasion, one that could well be matched in Saturday’s Six Nations clash between the two sides.

“That game is one that sticks in my mind quite a lot. It was an unbelievable atmosphere even on the bus-ride in. It all started there,” relives Joseph.

“We get a little bit of stick on the way in but it's rugby, it's competitive. Passionate fans will do what they can to give their team a little edge.

“The lights [went] down and then they brought them out when they sang their national anthem. I thought it was amazing. The adrenalin was going and all the boys were real pumped up for it. I think it works for both teams.”

England gave themselves a problem that day by starting incredibly slowly and allowed Wales to build a lead, with the home side heading in at the break 16-8 to the good. That England fought back spared them a third straight defeat in Cardiff, and Joseph knows that cannot afford to give themselves too much work to do this time around as early points on the board can help silence the partisan Welsh crowd.

“It was a really tough game and, for me personally, a tough one to build myself into,” he said. “The way we played, executed and controlled the game I thought was exceptional, especially playing down there. I thought we did really well.

“I never thought we were out of the game. We always felt confident but just felt we hadn't put everything we had worked on, especially in attack, on to them. There were gaps and opportunities out there so that was probably what was reiterated at half-time. In the second-half we executed a bit better.

“I think the aim for us is to start the game very well and hopefully not have to wait until the second half for the crowd to quieten down. We need to start the game well. We didn't start the last game too well. It's something we've been working on and will look to do on Saturday.”